Page 84 of The Devil's Thorn
He nods slowly, his expression unreadable.
“You want me to send it from you?”
“No,” I say without hesitation. “From you.”
“Why?”
“Because I want her wondering whyI’msilent.”
He exhales through his nose, then leans back in the chair again.
“You’re playing a long game with this one.”
“I always do.”
“But with her?”
He watches me for a long beat.
“You’re not just playing.”
I don’t confirm it. But I don’t deny it either.
Nikolai eventually stands, adjusting the cuffs of his shirt like he’s trying to push the weight of the conversation off his shoulders.
“Fine. I’ll send the message tomorrow morning.”
“Make sure the timing feels natural. No pressure. Just an… invitation.”
“To a gathering filled with men who kill for sport.”
“Exactly.”
He shakes his head, but his mouth twitches like he can’t help but admire it.
“You’re a son of a bitch, you know that?”
I give him a cold smile.
“And yet here you are. Still sitting at my table.”
When he finally leaves, the penthouse quiets again. But I don’t move.
I stay where I am. Still. Sharp. Watching the city like it’s a chessboard stretched beneath me.
Alessio Romano will talk. That much is inevitable. But what I want to know… is whatshewill say when it’s done. And if she’ll lie to me again when she looks me in the eye. Because she will stand in front of me.Alone.
And when she does, I’ll be one step closer to figuring out why a ghost with no past bleeds like monster and moves like a soldier.
Because she’s not just here for a mission. She’s here for a reason.
And I will uncoverevery piece of her—one truth at a time.
CHAPTER 6
ISABELLA
The slit in my dress cuts high up my thigh—high enough that one wrong move could be a statement, but not high enough to look unintentional.
